SUE ANNE O’DONNELL

The Celebrant by Your Side™

Legal Wedding Solemniser, Funeral and Family Celebrant Ceremonies for Every life Event, 7 days a week.

Honouring Life’s Moments with Meaning Your Ceremony, Your Way

Hi I’m Sue Anne, The Celebrant By Your Side, I am passionate about all things ceremony and celebrating life’s moments for these are treasures to our hearts. Be this a ceremony celebrating a new chapter, paying tribute to a loved one, or marking a moment that matters- I believe that Every life event—big or small—deserves to be honoured with intention and heart.

Every Ceremony is Personal

No two lives are the same, and no two ceremonies should ever be. Whether it’s Celebrating your love and saying ‘I Do’ to welcoming a child, exchanging vows, embracing a new name, or saying goodbye, your ceremony deserves to be a unique reflection of your journey. Each script is lovingly written to capture your beliefs, values, and the spark that makes you—you.

I am Here for You—Every Step of the Way

From our very first conversation, I am by your side to guide, support, and honour you. I listen, I care, and I tailor each detail to your wishes. Your ceremony can of course be as formal or informal, spiritual or secular, joyful or reflective as feels right for you.

Respect at the Heart of Every Celebration

My promise is to respect your story—your needs, your background, your dreams. As an Entheos Ireland celebrant, I offer ceremonies for those of all faiths and none.- the focus is always you. Your life ceremony will always and only include what matters most to you and your loved ones.

Just some of the ceremonies I am honoured to write and perform:

• Legal Weddings, Blessing ceremonies, Elopements, Anniversaries

• Baby Naming’s

• Milestone Ceremonies: New Beginnings, Embracing Change

• Funerals & Memorials

Let’s create a ceremony that beautifully reflects you, your love, gifting you a celebration filled ceremony that is truly special.

Contact me today—and together lets create your love filled ceremony

Sue Anne O’Donnell — The Celebrant by Your Side™

How to find/follow or contact me: Email; sueannecelebrant@icloud.com

Facebook and Instagram; Sue Anne The celebrant By Your Side Web site: www.thecelebrantbyyourside.com Mobile:0868239431

So tell us how you met. Were you single for a long time before dating?

We met in 2020 during lockdown. I added a random guy on Snapchat, no idea why, maybe it was fate but that one random add changed our lives forever. Both Ger and I had been single for a long time before we met.

How long after you started dating did it take to pop the question? Was it an immediate yes, and who asked who?

Ger and I were seeing each other for a while before we became official. Then one day, I brought Ger to a hotel with family and friends, quietly dropped an engagement ring into his champagne, got down on one knee, and asked the big question. His answer? An immediate, enthusiastic YES!

Tell us about your big day, location, number of guests, and all the details.

We had 110 guests at the Lord Bagenal Hotel. Ger and I had a dream wedding in mind, so we decided to do everything ourselves, crafting, creating, and ordering lots of items online. Being an LGBTQ+ wedding, there were expectations, and we like to think we delivered.

We started with Hummers and Mercedes picking us up from Baltinglass and driving us to the ceremony. We were greeted by a bagpiper, entering a room draped head-to-toe in white by Real Events. The ceremony lasted 45 minutes, after which we exited to an ABBA tribute band. Then came family photos, drinks, and canapés.

Entertainment included a drag queen hosting bingo, followed by dancing the night away with DJ Aido.

What about the food and drink?

From start to finish, the food and drink were amazing. Were there any hiccups or did everything go to plan?

There was a small hiccup on the way to the ceremony, an oil spill on the motorway meant we were both stuck in traffic and arrived an hour late. Other than that, everything went perfectly.

Have you been on, or are you going on, honeymoon? We’re heading to Santorini on September 29th.

In your daily lives, what do you do for work? What interests do you share, and what are different?

We both work in healthcare, specifically in nursing homes. We share a lot of interests, Cinema, Dogs, and Traveling but we also have our individual hobbies.

Do you do everything together in terms of socializing and travel?

Yes, we’re travel partners and love experiencing life together.

Do you have a family, and is this something you plan for?

We have two fur babies, Skye and Blu, which we think is more than enough to handle!

Tell us who made your day possible, rings, flowers, photographer, cars, etc.

• Hair: Olivia and Turkish barbers Cihan, Baltinglass

• Make-up: Di Makeup

• Rings: Fields, Newbridge

• Photographer: James Fenlon

• Videography: Joe Boland

• Cars: Xtreme Limousine

• Officiant: Sue Anne O’Donnell

• Suits: Mr. Mister Menswear

Has anything changed since you said “I do”?

Our love has grown even stronger, and we feel more connected than ever. Plus, Ger officially became a McSweeney!

For years I have been told about the magic of Edinburgh in August, about how the city comes alive with creativity, music, laughter, and the buzz of the world’s biggest arts festival. Friends and colleagues spoke of the Fringe as if it were a rite of passage, yet somehow I never made the trip. That all changed last month when I finally packed my bags and set off for eight unforgettable days in this extraordinary city. Performing at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival with the cast of My Sweetheart and Me turned out to be one of the most rewarding, humbling and eye-opening experiences of my career, and as I sit here writing this I find myself asking why I waited so long.

The journey itself was easier than expected. We took the ferry, a smooth two and a half hours that we filled with food and a film, before hopping back in our “tour bus” for the drive across Scotland. In less than three hours we had arrived in Edinburgh, ready to dive headfirst into the chaos and joy of the Fringe. And what a world it was.

With close to four thousand shows taking place across August, the scale of the festival is almost impossible to describe. Everywhere you turn there is something happening, with comedians handing out flyers, musicians playing on street corners, and theatre groups buzzing with anticipation as they gather their audiences. To be part of that was surreal. Performing My Sweetheart and Me each day was exhilarating. The show was enormous fun, but it was also a learning curve. At the Fringe, time slots are everything. Most productions last around seventy minutes so that audiences can pack several shows into a day, while ours is a full length musical. That made it harder for people to fit into busy schedules, but it also made those who chose us feel all the more special. The laughter, applause, and connection in the room each time reminded me exactly why I love performing.

Of course, I was not just there to perform. I made sure to carve out time to experience the festival myself, and what a line up it turned out to be. Seeing Miriam Margolyes live was a highlight of the whole trip. She is a national treasure, outrageous and unapologetically herself, and she had the audience in the palm of her hand from start to finish. The second show I caught was Dad, Tomorrow Will I Be a Man, which was incredibly thought provoking. It followed the story of the world’s number one squash player as he juggled his career, a strained relationship, his parents’ divorce, his mother’s illness, the challenges of IVF, and much more. It was layered, emotional, and stayed with me long after the curtain fell. I also squeezed in the Blondie story - it was 70 mins of musical bliss from the iconic band and a story of Queen Debbie Harry, I am such a fan of Blondies music, have seen them live maybe 3 times so this was right up my street, it included all the big hits, Heart Of Glass, Call Me, Atomic, Marie, a few unknown songs that were post the official band forming and a cover. This show could definitely have been a lot longer as I felt it stopped prematurely though in hindsight it was the perfect length for a Fringe show and left the audience wanting more.

As much as I enjoyed eating out and sampling some of Edinburgh’s endless food options, I mostly stuck to my usual food routine and did a lot of cooking. It kept me grounded during the whirlwind of performing and sightseeing. And there was plenty of sightseeing. When I was not on stage or working on GNI Magazine and the upcoming awards, I was walking. I explored the cobbled streets of Old Town, climbed Arthur’s Seat to take in views that felt like standing on top of the world, visited the observatory, strolled through the palace, admired the castle, and even made time to see the Scottish Parliament. Every corner of Edinburgh seemed to hold something new and fascinating.

Balancing all of this, the performances, the sightseeing, the magazine work, the awards planning, and even the cooking, was not always easy. This time around I did not fully let myself go in the way that others might at the Fringe. I kept busy and kept to routines. Yet even with that, I loved every moment. It showed me how much I could fit in and gave me a taste of what I want to do differently next time. When I return, and I absolutely will, I plan to immerse myself completely in the culture and atmosphere, to throw myself into every opportunity and soak up every bit of this extraordinary festival.

What struck me most was the sense of community. Thousands of performers descend on Edinburgh each August, yet somehow it feels like a family. Artists support each other, audiences cheer on even the smallest of shows, and conversations spark everywhere, in queues, in pubs, on the cobbles of the Royal Mile. For someone who has spent over twenty five years performing, it was moving to be reminded of the shared passion that drives us all. That unspoken bond of wanting to connect, create, and bring people together is alive and thriving at the Fringe.

So, would I recommend Edinburgh in August? Without hesitation. Go. See the shows, whether they are big name stars or tiny productions in hidden venues.

Wander the streets and let yourself stumble into something unexpected. Climb Arthur’s Seat, explore the closes, lose yourself in history at the castle, and eat your fill of both Scottish classics and international delights. Most of all, embrace the community spirit and the joy of being part of something bigger than yourself. The Fringe is not just a festival. It is an experience, a culture, a celebration of humanity in all its messy, brilliant, creative forms.

I came home from my eight days in Edinburgh grateful, inspired, and already planning my return. It has given me memories I will cherish forever and a new appreciation for what performance can mean when it is shared in such a unique way. Edinburgh has stolen my heart, and I know this is only the beginning of a lifelong love affair with both the city and the Fringe Festival. If you have never been, let me be the one to say it: go. It will change you, and you will not regret it.